Category: Reality

Oh, It Really Twas!

‘Twas the night before a holiday, and all through our lives,

the only thing stirring was governmental strife.

The GOP and the Dems were in their usual best,

making sure the constituents again would lose rest.

 

And I with my checkbook and Mama with the bills,

had just settled in to see which gas tank gets filled.

When what do my wondering eyes should see,

but a temporary agreement to set congress free.

 

Off to their condos or nice vacation homes,

those who don’t work were all free to roam.

And to the rest of us who struggle, and scrape day to day,

we wonder how it is that they get to go play?

 

Because they belong to this group or that,

they only see life defined oh so narrow and flat.

No ‘outside the box’ thinking allowed with their way,

“our way’s the only way”, I once heard them say.

 

So off to our slumber since tomorrow’s an early rise,

to go make our minimum and hope for a prize,

That someday our government will soon get a clue,

that running a country involves more than a party of two.

 

Common Sense can prevail when you open your mind,

and see the big picture, not just your side, but also mine.

Amazing is what can happen, open the view

cuz ’tis the season for giving, not taking for you.

 

No dashing, or dancing, or prancing, or vixens.

No vomits, cupids, dummies, or getting blitzed then.

 

Hear us all as you drive out of sight, “you better watch out, you better not whine, quit your pouting, we’re telling you why…election time is coming around”!

 

May this new year be fresh with Common Sense!

It could happen.....(keep clicking your heels together!)

Correct Me Now!

Simply amazing.  A 7-year-old child is being bullied at school to the point where he was choked by the assailant.  The boy, in reactive fear, kicks at the other child and strikes him in the groin area.  Now that child is accused of sexual harassment.  A 9-year-old boy says to another student that his teacher is cute. The teaching assistant hears the comment, now he faces a sexual harassment complaint.  A choir teacher at a school makes the kids sing the  Christmas song “Deck The Halls” with the word “gay” replaced with “bright”.  And so on, and so on, and so on…..

Actually, simply amazing isn’t the correct address to the recent news events.  Let’s us simply ridiculous!  Before I point out the obvious to you, I would like to take a moment to ask that anyone in the audience that takes offense at people being offended by America’s misdirection of political correcting, to please step outside.  I am one of those that is currently being offended by politically correct being allowed to run rampant in society today. I can almost guarantee that you will be offended. 

For many, obvious seems to be clear.  The arguments against the rampant stupidity have already aired throughout the various media.  What I don’t understand is why does this continue to happen?  If we look back throughout our history, we see an ever-changing tide of mentality towards various subjects.  That happens. Views change, people grow, things once important are no longer relevant.  It’s called evolution.  Society continues to evolve, thus the change in styles, music, politics, habits, and a host of other aspects to our existence.  But the one continuous thread that is supposed to underlie our momentum forward into the future is common sense.  Somewhere along the roadway, that thread was either cut or snapped.  I know it didn’t wear out from overuse!

I find that the evil whiners that push this politically correct agenda today are the source of our downfall.  That minority with loud voices have somehow swayed various government and business leaders in the U.S. to go along with their radically nonsense way of thinking and it really has me sad and scared for our future.  To remove common sense in such a way as to think that an 11-year-old blue-eyed, blonde haired boy has been, and still is, on the TSA’s no-fly list, has my jaw on the ground is utter disbelief.  His first pat down was at the age of 2!  Hello? People?  Because he shares a common name with an actual potential threat, he is stopped and checked thoroughly.  Calling Captain Obvious?

 We live in an age where news travels faster than it ever has in our history. You would almost think that the powers-that-be would be keenly aware of this fact and know that their every move is constantly scrutinized and studied.  So, when the school decrees that an elementary student must be suspended because he falls under the definition of  “sexual harassment”, you would think that someone would have stood up and pointed out the irrational thinking.  But sadly, no one did.   Has the “decision makers”  sunk to such a level of paranoia that even a seemingly well-educated person cannot make a common sense call here because they fear backlash from a radical minority of idiots?

What are we afraid of here? Clear thinking? practicality? We really must be! From this recent kind of overt craziness to the extremists blowing up their own people, society has become scared to confront the flagrant disregard to common sense!   Quit worrying about the handful of babies that fuss about “feelings” getting hurt or think that everyone should have a right to do anything they want!  It’s not a right to bully someone!  And, destroy a child’s life because he said a person is cute?  When did “sticks and stones” leave the room?

Everyone talks about the over-sensitive events that are clearly ridiculous,  but no one is “fixing” it.  Let’s stop putting bandages on these wounds that bleed our sanity!  I know that there are more than a couple of brain cells that can be rubbed together to create a spark of reality in this place.  Enough is enough, as they say. At some point, simple thinking has to catch hold and begin to put some clear reason at the forefront of our decision-making.  If it doesn’t, the stupidity is going to continue to spread like the infection it is and we will be restricted from all thought, word, and deed! 

“Call the police, that person looked at me!”  “Get me a lawyer, that person stood too close to me in the elevator!”  In time, congress will create a law of all laws and everyone will be guilty of something!  Let’s get off of the “be sensitive to every little thing” ride and get back to serious reality! This planet is a mess and we certainly have bigger problems out there that need our full attention.  Let’s stop allowing these trivial, nonsensical, isolated incidents to take center-stage when the real issues are people starving, children without a place to live, and stupid folks affecting our Common Sense!  Step up to the plate, put your foot down, and tell the world that Common Sense is back!

An Open Letter To Mr. Claus

Dear Santa,

It’s been over 30 years since my last confession and I have to confess that things have really gone askew!  I’m not even sure my toilet swirls in the correct direction when flushed.  The world has gone mad and I was hoping that you could get things fixed.  I know you’re a busy guy this time of year, with all the labelling and legal hurdles you have to clear before you can bring goodies on your sleigh, but, I just need to know if the old Santa is still there…the one that can put fear in children that they might be on the naughty list.  The Santa who can actually have children sit on his lap without the threat of lawsuit.  Where have you been all these years?  I mean, you are still Santa, right? The jolly ol’ elf that has an independent operation in the north pole? You haven’t become the “Elf formerly known as…”, or “And now, here’s Santa, sponsored by…”?  You didn’t get caught up in any Ponzi schemes, did you? I don’t know why I worry about these things. Just do.

Are you feeling severely limited these days with all the regulations, restrictions, taxations, and legal ramifications? A person of your position is probably scrutinized 24/7.  Labor watchdogs, potential whistle-blowers, children services and such.  No wonder you don’t have the power you once did!  It’s a serious shame!  Innocence is lost, but not solely to perversions.  It seems that it’s lost to the governmental controls, corporate greed, and the individual narcissism of people today.  With all that going on, sorry to say, you never really did have a chance to survive.  The world today is heading down the path of anti-Clausism.  No one, save but a few, have the desire to believe in miracles. The days of dreaming have been replaced by the days of medication.  Your role is being replaced by paranoia.  How sad is that!

I’ve done my own tally and the best I can discern is that your “nice” list has to be really, really short.  I firmly believe that all the idiots that refuse to go beyond 40 MPH down the freeway on-ramps until after they have a mile or two under their belts should not be on that list.  I think you would have to agree that most of our world-wide government leaders have probably slipped from one list to the other.  There is so many situations of violence, mayhem, and, just plain disorder throughout the world that one would have to imagine your trip time would be half from what it once was.  Too bad you can’t take some of these “naughty listers” out behind the reindeer barn and give them all a yule log upside their heads!

Enough of that, though.  I am worried for you.  It is certainly hard to keep your mental and physical health intact these days with all that is going on.  I remember that song with the kid singing “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth”.  I still sing that nowdays because I can’t afford the dental work.  Have you seen the out-of-pocket prices? Wow!  So, I sing….and sing….and wish upon a star, (or HMO, or bank loan).  Plus, it is really hard to keep one’s sanity together during these times.  I’ve found that the reindeer games really take a toll on folks these days, and all you end up with is the droppings! You must know that one first hand!  How do you cope?

Well, I suppose I should get on with my self-indulging list of ‘what I want’ for Christmas.  I am not going to ask for world peace, family love, food and shelter for the poor in the United States, bringing home the troops from overseas, justice for Caylee Anthony, our political parties to pull their heads out, jobs for the unemployed, corporate greed to subside, the end to selfishness, medical and dental care for everyone in the U.S., religions to calm down, crime to decrease, and several million other things.  I am not going to ask for any of that because I believe that you have already heard those requests from the folks on your “nice” list.

What I am going to ask for is you. The Santa Claus.  The one I knew as a kid.  The one that captured my excitement of Christmas and kept me dreaming of magic.  The Kris Kringle that created dreams inside each and every one of us.  The Jolly Ol’ Elf of yesteryear is what I ask.  I want to have that happy, carefree feeling within my heart, if but just for a moment. To experience the power you once radiated throughout the world that said ‘it’s ok to believe!’  If all the adults felt that, imagine what could really happen!  Common Sense says that the results would be wonderful!  The world needs you now, more than ever!

Sincerly,

The Cannon

 

Dirty Rotten Chaos!

Into each life, a little chaos must fall….and hard!  All around you at this very moment is change and disorder. You might feel that there is balance and harmony going on in your life, but let me be the first to burst your bubble…it’s not!  You have your good days, you have your bad days, and in between those days is chaos at work.  That creature of disruption moving about, tipping the carts, changing the lights, casting its confusions.  Chaos.  What is this beast and why does it seem to be getting bigger, stronger, faster in the world around us and, for many, within us?  Let’s define:

Chaos:

  • Complete disorder and confusion.
  • Behavior so unpredictable as to appear random, owing to great sensitivity to small changes in conditions.

I love those definitions!  They sum up the animal at work.  I often picture a mythical faery-like being with an evil grin, fluttering about, doing its will on unsuspecting people and things.  Many religions have given chaos a persona of some demonic entity that works in the spiritual realms to ruin their prey. Loki was the Norse god of mischief constantly working to thwart mankind, as well as the gods themselves. Lucifer of the bible,  the great deceiver, who started the entire downfall of mankind by creating confusion on the first humans that lived in bliss.  Many different cultures label some single source for all the problems of the world.  What it boils down to is the events of chaos.  Altering changes that disrupt our plans, processes, procedures, policies, and presence!  From the simple distraction to the fall of empires, chaos has, and always will, be the thorn in our sides!

What can we do about this? Is there any way to fool-proof our dealings in life so as not to be ruined by chaos?  I think not.  Back in 1785, Robert Burns characterized this chaos in his great poem, “To a Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest with the Plough”, by writing “But little Mouse, you are not alone, in proving foresight may be vain. The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew, and leave us nothing but grief and pain, for promised joy!”

So, the best laid plans…askew! Whether by divine intervention or just natural chaos, we can plan until the cows come home, but somehow, someway, chaos will often rear its ugly head!  Does it happen all the time? Of course not! It finds pleasure in allowing us some of the promised joy, lulling us into a false sense of security…then, BANG! Knocks us down some notches! We get up, dust ourselves off, curse the very fact chaos exists, and try again. Oh, our humanity of persistence!

That is the one thing about chaos…though ever changing, it is the only constant that we share.  At points throughout our lives, we have felt the hand of chaos on our schemes, even when they have been well planned.  So, if this is a constant during our walk through the time given, then why is there such an impact of frustration, anger, and even defeat?  We should know by now that at some point in our design on how we think life should go, that chaos will inevitably intervene and have its way with us.  I would say this is the predictability of the unpredictable!  In a future writing I will address one reason that it impacts us so harshly and why we react the way we do. (It’s called narcissism.  A sometimes over inflated view of self-importance.  Another time, though.)

So, in the present, we see this swarm fluttering all around our everyday, buzzing with the possible of changing our directions.  It happens, and for some folks it happens more often than others.  There is no pre-disposition to the ailment of chaos. It isn’t a contagion that we get by standing too close to someone afflicted (though people may argue that the fallout of one’s chaotic attack can be adverse enough to create a sense of chaos in their own life)!  No matter what it is construed as, chaos exists, it affects, and it strikes anyone, anywhere, at any time!

The strength that chaos can have is given only by the reactions we have to it.  The turkey slides off the serving tray onto the ground right before it’s time to eat. Chaos ensues!  We can either crumble to the ground in utter defeat, allowing the tears of shattered dreams to wash all our intentions away, or, we can realize that our plan to serve may be altered, but the fact that our family and friends are there to share with us is so much bigger.  Chaos might trip, but it can never replace.  You may have lost something or someone, but chaos can never remove the memories and moments that mean so much more.  We are supposed to give thanks during thanksgiving, no matter what chaos has done in the past or even the present. It’s when we lose sight of the precious, the true reality of what we have, that’s when chaos has truly won. 

Don’t let the knowledge of impending chaos be the ruin in your heart.  Our time is measured, and there are so many more important things to be thankful for.

Un-Social Media

Breaking News!  Social media is destroying humanity!  Okay, perhaps it isn’t breaking news. And maybe it hasn’t destroyed it completely. But, the extent of my statement really depends on clarifying some definitions of news, destroy, or social.  Let us take a look at those definitions and see what we end up with!

News reporting agencies can be funny entities. They are often the very heralds of doom and gloom, and yet thoroughly pride themselves as being the “first” to bring it to you. How thoughtful.  Yet in this day and age of information demand, we clamor at every source we can to stay informed and aware. As many of you know, I am one such junkie. I often find myself confused when I bring a news item to a conversation and no one is aware of the story.  Really?  I thought everyone was in-the-know about the feral cat problem in Hindustan!  (I jest…somewhat…)

But our sources of information are missing out on a really big story. That there seems to be a lack of awareness of the degradation of human interaction around us. “Social” has been morphing from how we interacted with one another into a cold, barren way. It is caving in to the world of electronics.  The explosion of social media websites is nothing new. From the advents of My Space to the highly popular Facebook and Twitter, there is certainly no shortage of internet places to “socialize”.  Major companies like Google and Yahoo have also thrown their hats into the ring with versions.  The goal: get you to use their system so that they can make money from advertisers.  Simple as that. This is corporate America looking for a means to get money.  But, at what cost?

I’m all for businesses making money.  After all, this is the land of opportunity!  Where I have a problem is when socializing is stripped down to impersonal typed words and picture postings.  Where human interaction is via electricity and not face to face.  Where emotions are conveyed by ‘smileys’.  The word social is generically defined as companionships or relations, in community versus isolated.  People are, by nature, social creatures and have the need to engage with others.  Social is key to society…groups of people together.  In the past, people would socialize with one another by gathering together.  These would be the times for friends and families to talk, share, help, care, love, support, and belong.  Sadly, that type of socializing is being replaced.  Actually, it is being destroyed.  I don’t think I need to define destroy.

It would seem that people today find solace in checking their cell phones or computers for their social fix.  Online you can post comments and pictures, share your feelings, give a virtual hug or pat on the back, date, and even break up.  Yes, that all happens on there.  Many of the things that used to be done “in person” are now “impersonal”.  People have had entire relationships online. If that doesn’t make you sad, then you may want to go see someone “in person” to get some help.  I say that bluntly with hopes of a wake up call!  Socializing is an imperative part of being human, and having human interaction is a necessary part of our mental and emotional well-being.  Give thought to the punishment of ‘solitary confinement’…separation of humans from humans.  It’s a punishment, not a reward.  Sociologists and medical experts know that the key to our sanity is the need for human contact.

It can be safely said that social media is destroying humanity.  Humans have social needs and, quite frankly, social media does not fulfill that need.  We may think that we are socializing, but it should not be the replacement to actual face-to-face socializing.  Sitting in your room with the computer is not giving you human contact.  If anything, it is numbing the human right out of you!  I would love to see the withdrawals people would have if they didn’t have their internet social medias to check every 10 seconds.  They might actually have to learn some face-to-face skills!

I understand that friends and family separated by distance use these formats as a means to stay in contact.  No issues here with that.  It’s when it becomes your everything, your lifeline to the outside world that is standing right next to you.  When people can gather in a room with one another and hardly speak to each other because they are busy “socializing” online.   I am always amazed, but rarely shocked anymore, when I see groups of people in the store walking down the aisles with their faces in their phones and no interaction with those whom they are with.  I feel sad by this, but this is evidence of the destruction of socializing.

Try something here…a new social media.  I call it talking.  This type of media requires two people, in the same location, each equipped with a mouth and ears.  This social media requires no electricity, data plan, or computer.  You simply speak what you would normally type and the other person hears what you said!  Then, the person that listened to you will probably say something back, which you would use your ears to hear it!  Crazy, I know, but when you repeat that process, possibly adding more people together….oh, the socializing that can happen!!!  Don’t call me a pioneer…I checked my history and found out that it was all the rave long ago!